Please note: I do not live
in New York, and do not have any better access to Dutchess County
records than you do. Check the links on this page for what records
are available in the county and state, what others have donated to
this Project and what records the Lookup Volunteers have. I have also
listed mailing addresses and in many cases email addresses for
Dutchess County -- Historical Societies, Genealogical Societies, Town
Historians and where to write for vital records. You might also join the NYDUTCHE mailing list, as some of the list members own Dutchess County
publications and/or live in the area and can possibly help you in your search. They are a very helpful group. To subscribe send a message with subject or
body 'help' to nydutche-reguest@rootweb.

The
US GenWeb is a well organized effort to organize the genealogy
materials on the Internet. This project is supported by hundreds
of volunteers all across the county. Basically, the system is
organized by states, and counties with each county having a
coordinator responsible for maintaining a site of resources which
are available for that county. You'll also find files of
genealogy records, also organized by state and county.

A
message was sent out over the GEN-NYS-L list in June 1996 asking
if anyone would be interested in starting a New York State GenWeb
page similiar to a highly successful project underway in
Kentucky. Many people expressed an interest in this idea. About
the same time, Jeff Murphy, coordinator of the KY GenWeb, decided
to go national with the idea, and out of that grew the
US GenWeb project, and the
NY GenWeb project. At the same time, volunteers were found
who were willing to coordinate the collection of databases and
generally oversee the contents of the web page. Contact the
volunteer shown on the county page if you have a desire to add
your data to the database.

Dutchess County was formed in 1683, one of the original
counties of New York. Almost uninhabited until 1701, Dutchess
County was administered by Ulster County from that time until at
least 1713. Dutchess County is located in the Southeast corner of
New York. It is bounded on the north by Columbia Co., NY, on the
east by Litchfield Co., CT and Fairfield Co., CT, on the south by
Putnam Co., NY, and on the west by Ulster and Orange Counties,
NY.

Birth,
Death and Marriage Records In
1880 an attempt was made by the state to require the keeping of
vital records. This law is the basis for the recording of births,
marriages and deaths in New York today. The original record is
made in the town, village or city in which the event took place,
and a copy is sent to Albany.

New York Department of
Health

Vital Records Section,
Genealogy Unit

Corning Tower
Building, Empire State Plaza

Albany, NY 12237-002

Because of the large backlog of requests, there is likely
to be a long delay for a response. It should also be noted that
compliance with the 1880 law was slow, and many events were not
recorded. Copies of vital record certificates, marked "for
genealogical research only," can be issued at the state or
local level. This applies only to births recorded at least
seventy-five years ago and to marriages and deaths recorded fifty
years ago and earlier.

Divorce
Records Since 1847 divorce
actions in New York have been handled in the supreme court for
the county in which the divorce was heard. New York divorce
files, however, are sealed for one hundred years. In colonial
times, petitions for divorce had to be made to the governor or
legislature, and only a few were granted. The court of chancery
granted divorces from 1787 to 1847. These older records are in
the state archives.

New York State
Archives

New York Department of
Education

Cultural Education
Center, Room 11D40

Albany, NY 12230

(518) 474-8955

I've listed the address of the
Dutchess County Records Management office. I don't know what, if
any, vital records they maintain, but the phone number is listed
so you can call them and ask.

Dutchess County
Records Management

170 Washington Street

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 486-3677

A list addresses and phone numbers of town clerks and/or
municipal offices where vital records may be obtained is
available on the Dutchess County Genealogical Society Vital
Records web page.

Due to the diligent efforts of Cynthia
Miles-Lewis of Schenectady County, it has been discovered
that New York researchersDOhave recourse when denied copies of records from county
clerks, unless the requested record is covered under the Personal
Privacy Protection Law. Click here to
learn more about the Freedom of Information Law in New York and
how it can help those of us doing genealogical research in New
York.

There are Census Lookup lists for all the
states. Once you are subscribed to the list you can request lookups
in any census year for that particular state. To subscribe send an
email to XX-CENSUS-LOOKUP-L-request@rootsweb.com
with the command "subscribe" in the subject line. Don't
type anything in the body of the message. Replace the XX with the
two-digit code for the state in which you are interested. You will
receive a "Welcome Message" with instructions on how to
request a lookup and how to unsubscribe.